Chapter 28: Green-Eyed Monsters
Something big, had landed on Asteroid 12.
The ripples of the disruption to the outer layers of rock, trembled through the inner caverns to alert the population of just sixteen occupants. Just five seconds before the exact moment of impact, the mystical twelve albino aliens had ceased their droning deep meditation in the main central cavern. Now, they stared up in perfectly synchronised unison to the trembling and groaning ceiling. Along with names, they also no longer had need for words, so communication was at times irritating. It was easy to tell from their body language and facial expression however, when something was amiss. A napping ChiChi, who often found comfort in the ancient meditation, suddenly found herself to be wide awake, and very alert. A single name decorated her gasping breath, and she found her feet in a matter of seconds. Only one task fuelled her; the sudden need reach the surface.
Trunks was the first of the two young boys to find his feet, flinging blankets aside to stare up at the vibrating ceiling of his shared alcove. A yawning Goten followed suit, rubbing his head a little where a small stone had fallen from above, and struck him.
"What's going on?" He sleepily asked, frowning in clear concern and struggling to untangle his legs from double blankets. The asteroid was often very cold during the night time. Trunks said nothing in response, as he mechanically reached for his training 'keikogi' robes in corn-yellow and dark blue, and tossed the younger boy his similar tangerine orange and marine blue set.
In the adjacent cavern, Bulma had literally rolled out of her bed following the quake, taking her blankets with her as she hit the vibrating floor. It all abruptly tore her out of one nightmare, and into the next.
"TRUNKS?" She called for her son automatically, throwing a tattered, red and slightly ribbed jumper-dress over her lithe form covered in a simple, black bodysuit. A pair of yellow moon boots slipped over her feet, and then a brown leather belt that holstered an illegal space gun, found her narrow waist. Her priority was the safety of her child, using whatever tools she had at her immediate disposal. Even her bare fists would do, if it came to that. The two boys soon came running into her room, with Goten being the most animated of the two.
"What's happening? Where's my mommy?" The youngest boy held his balled fists to his chest, still gripping onto the grey blanket around his small form.
"It's just a quake sweetie," Bulma tried to soothe. Completing her calm façade, she approached the boy and steered him closer to her crumpled mess of a bed. "But we're going to play hide and seek while your mommy and the nice Almanac people check it out, okay?"
It was then that Trunks knew; he could tell by his mother's light frown and fake voice. Not to mention the more obvious clue being the gun in her hand, and the fact that he'd been eavesdropping on the various late night conversations that had echoed through the caverns.
"What if Goku was trying to warn us?" Bulma had suggested pessimistically, wanting to consider every logical possibility, even if that included her worst nightmare. The communications device had just cut out before their allied male Saiyan could breathe a word beyond the initial greetings. First the sound had gone, leaving only his stern face as he continued to speak empty words. Then the picture had blanked out, leaving a pair of very frustrated women.
"What if you-know-who found out?"
Trunks had often wondered who this 'you-know-who' was. His mother rarely spoke the words, but whenever she did, there was a clear look of fear and anxiety mixed with clear loathing on her face. The two women were always very careful about discussing this mystery person.
"Then we better hope my Goku gets here first!" ChiChi had retorted, beaming with pride and great faith. Trunks sometimes wished that his mother was a little more like Gotens, who always encouraged her son to be strong. She even taught Goten her own style of martial arts. Suffice to say, Trunks was a little envious. When he had been just five years old, Bulma had been an over-protective wreck still recovering from her nervous break-down.
"I don't get it," Goten frowned and pouted back in the present timeline. "How do we play hide and seek, when you already know where we're hiding? Is my mommy okay? Where is she? Why can't we go find her?"
'Smart kid,' Bulma grumbled to herself, looking to Trunks for some help.
"Don't look at me," he grumbled back to her, crossing his arms stubbornly. The gesture alone reminded her of a certain Saiyan King, and that only added to the woman's frustration even further. "And he's got a point. C'mon mom, we can fight too."
"Fight? Why are we fighting?"
Goten didn't remember, but Trunks did. Two years ago, a similar 'quake' had rippled through their cavern home. The Almanac and ChiChi had held off three aggressive aliens who had crash-landed on the peaceful asteroid planet. But the adults had refused to give many details about it, just as they did now. The blue-haired woman heaved an agitated breath, and both boys finally cowered slightly. Bulma had nothing on ChiChi's temper, but when she was angry, she will still quite a scary woman.
"We're not discussing this! Both of you are staying right here with me, and that's that!"
As the woman moved to stand guard by the alcove entrance, the two boys were left to exchange confused glances and shrugs with one another. An actually very nervous Bulma quickly retrieved her gun from the holster, and unlocked the safety switch with a shaky breath. Fighting wasn't her strong point, unless it was a battle of the tongues. Her gun only had so much ammo, but she wasn't stupid. She knew bullets could never stop a Saiyan Warrior, especially not one like Vegeta. If the others couldn't stop the potentially dangerous forces that had just landed on the planet, then she knew she was helpless as the children's last line of defence. Still, she had to try her best.
Out on the asteroid's dusty surface, ChiChi had raced ahead of the other two Almanac scouts, while the ten others remained underground. Each carried their own choice of weaponry, all except for the Earth woman. She simply wore her usual gear secured by a black belt, and black moon boots. The top half of the leotard bodysuit was a faded orange, and she had stitched black thread at the side in a cross-cross embroidered pattern to resemble her more traditional Earth garments. Baggy, navy blue trousers rested on her hips, while arm-warmers covered the majority of her bare arms in marine blue, stretchy Saiyan material. It was one of the only garments left from her lifestyle on Vegetasei. A dull breeze caught various dark strands of her loose hair. She'd broken most of her hairgrips and ties needed to secure her favoured bun hairstyle, and she couldn't quite bring herself to cut her hair short. Not when Goku had always liked to run his fingers through the long, silky strands.
Three pairs of eyes were all completely focused on a single target. Just a few feet ahead of them, was the white, Saiyan battleship. ChiChi wore a light frown etched on her dark brows. The moment of truth would soon be upon them, as steam suddenly burst from the hinges of the main, cargo doors. The two Alamac scouts raised their weapons defensively, as they formed a defensive line across the crater opening. ChiChi also stood her ground, sliding her right leg to the side slightly as her fists clenched. It never hurt to be prepared, even if she was convinced there was no real danger. Something told her that the albino aliens thought so too. With a churning mechanical sound, the main doors finally begun to lower, revealing three figures of varying heights behind the cloud of steam and mist. It didn't take long for the dark eyes of one certain female to widen under raised brows, as the tallest of the three confidently stepped forwards. There was no mistaking that pointy, onyx black hair, the sharply chiselled face, and very lightly frowning eyes of the darkest, burnt umber shade.
"GOKU!"
There was no stopping the mountain woman as she rocketed forwards, flinging her arms out to be caught by strong hands around the waist, and lifted round in a laughing circle. Several pairs of eyes blinked while mouths gaped; a laughing Kakarot was a rarity indeed. Yet there was no mistaking the warm male chortling and the raised brows over an altogether, friendlier gaze. The couple were oblivious to their small audience, as ChiChi locked her arms and legs around her mate and he only welcomed the tight closeness by squeezing her full, womanly body against him. They surprised each other by the way they managed to devour each other with a deep, and very controlled gaze. It was almost as though they were testing each other's mental strength. If that was the case, ChiChi somewhat won the battle. It was Kakarot who plunged towards her lips first, though the gesture was well accepted on both sides. At last, ChiChi's feet found the floor, though as far as she was concerned, she was still floating high above on cloud nine. When the lingering kiss was broken, dark eyes really did drown within each other, and the two mates reminded each other of how it felt to be close again. ChiChi rested her hands over 'her Goku's' chest, feeling the strong heartbeat that brought a melancholy sigh past her vermilion pout. Kakarot was meanwhile just content to breath in unison with his woman, still holding her waist, where she had now twice been filled with his child. It tore him in half to know that he'd missed seeing the second life gradually grow inside her, or hear the first screams as the newborn entered the world. ChiChi knew exactly what her mate was thinking, as he pressed his hand to the very slight, plump curve of her stomach. She swallowed back, then licked her lips, gazing lovingly up at him. Who needed words, when they shared such a strong connection?
As Kakarot buried his nose against ChiChi's hair, reminding him of her unique scent, the gesture also allowed him to peer over her scalp, to the nervous Gohan. It was so odd to see his father acting so devoted to this human woman, and even more alarming to witness the sound of his carefree chuckles and warmer expressions. But now, father and son exchanged more serious stares, and it was Gohan's turn to gulp as his father finally moved back from his mate slightly. ChiChi finally breathed a deep breath, letting her eyes re-focus again while the hand at her back steered her to face the two strangers waiting patiently near the ship. A new breath caught in her throat as her lightly squinted eyes examined the tall young man, who took a very cautious step closer. When he was reluctant to make the first move though, the mountain woman stepped closer still, and simply stared back for a long moment. Neither of them knew how to act, or what to say, while they examined each other. ChiChi lifted her hand to her parted pout, where lightly trembling fingers hovered a moment. Gohan attempted to form the shapes of words on his mouth, but no sounds would follow his questioning glare. Likewise, ChiChi felt that speech was far beyond her, and so she instead reached out to timidly feel the contours of the young man's face. He had his father's chiselled and slightly sharp features; the wide jaw, almond shaped eyes, and the slightly square, pointed chin. Yet the slightly curved and narrow nose resembled her own, along with the full, cupid's bow pout. As she looked into eyes that were slightly lighter than his father's, the woman's own eyes seemed to gradually tear up in reflective pools. She no longer doubted who this stranger was.
"My baby's all… grown up," she finally said in a slightly strained voice. Realisation struck her like a tumbling ton of bricks. Trying to be a mother to this fully grown man, was going to difficult.
The young female behind Gohan frowned lightly as she observed the unfolding scene. She saw how her mate had to exhale through his nostrils, as the woman's voice caused a tightening in his chest. Then how she'd referred to Gohan as 'my baby.' It wasn't exactly hard to draw any further conclusion from that, though Gohan was now frowning considerably. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but the tightening pain in his chest, didn't just make him feel uncomfortable. He found himself deeply yearning for the acceptance of this older woman, whose face and sense stirred a feeling of remembrance. He felt like he knew her, and either she could read his thoughts, or she felt exactly the same. Whichever was the case, Gohan found himself feeling the sudden embrace of the strange Earth woman, who wrapped her thickly toned arms around his waist. He stood very still for a moment, not sure how to react to the greeting that had broken the boundary of his personal circle. Yet nature and instincts overwhelmed his stoic warrior upbringing. At last, Gohan accepted the simple hug, and the glowing warmth that belonged to his mother.
"You're so tall," she mumbled against him, resting her head against his broad chest. "So like your father." Her shoulders tensed, and the demi-Saiyan had to close his frowning eyes as he felt her hands clinging to his back.
"Oh Gohan, please don't hate me." He smelt the salty tears before he felt them, staining the material over his chest in clear moisture. "It was never meant to be like this."
The father stood proudly as he watched the reconciliation, having to swallow back a lump in his throat. He could see his mate's shoulders and back shake with her increasing sobs, and he'd never understood how she managed to force the leakage from her eyes. But now, he had to grit his teeth firmly with strained and flaring nostrils, while he too felt the tightening discomfort within his own, broad chest. Kakarot had to look away, and so his dark eyes observed the two Almanac scouts for a moment. Content to remain an audience, they were now curiously investigating the outer shell of the Saiyan spacecraft. He had encountered their species before, and personally dealt with the three who had tried to protect Bulma and her son seven years ago. Realising they were no threat, his eyes darted to the cave opening delving deeply into a steep and rocky crevice. A small head of dark, spiky hair popped up, sneakily peering out at the scene. When large, curious eyes locked onto the fully grown Saiyan man, the boy ducked under the rocks again. Kakarot lightly frowned, venturing a step closer with a light smile lifting his pout again. He knew that mischievous little face.
"GOTEN! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"
A shrill, high-pitched female voice echoed beneath them, but nearby. ChiChi stiffened at the name, stepping and turning back from her eldest son and furiously drying her eyes with lingering sniffles. Another small head, this time covered by a curtain of lilac hair, popped up over the crater edge. Blue eyes observed the surface for a moment, and on seeing ChiChi apparently being held hostage by the strangers without the Almanac scouts in sight, the boy leapt up.
"Let her go!" Swinging his practice sword, he growled a moment, striking a well-balanced, offensive stance.
Up jumped the second boy in an initial blur of orange, until he settled next to the slightly taller and older boy, and struck his own combat pose. Nodding to each other, the boys gave the adults no further time to begin to protest or explain, as they charged forwards. Gohan and Videl could only stare with raised brows as the tallest boy swung his wooden sword back and forth at them, while Kakarot could only begun to chuckle warmly, as his dark-haired clone threw punches that resembled ChiChi's techniques perfectly.
"OW!" Videl winced and yelped as the flat of the blade struck her knee. The boy was stronger than he looked, but that was no wonder. There was no mistaking the furry brown tails wrapped around both of their small waists.
"Both of you stop it!" ChiChi scolded, managing to get a handful of the back of Trunk's clothing and lift him away before he could cause anymore harm. He growled, swinging his sword still even as he was lifted.
At last, a blue-haired head popped up from the main crevice opening, and the clumsier of these older two Earthling females, climbed out from the steep hole. Unlike ChiChi, the Capsule Corp heiress was extremely fashion conscious, even when stranded in the middle of nowhere. Bulma Briefs had managed to go through many different haircuts, and had once even let the mountain woman cut her blue locks, which had been a disaster never repeated again. Currently she wore her hair to her shoulders in a very sharp cut, with an even fringe held back by a pair of neon yellow and black goggles. As soon as her yellow moon boots found the upper ground level and she straightened herself, the woman's blue eyes widened.
"Holy crap!" Bulma shrieked, quickly fumbling for the gun holstered at her hip. Not only had the Saiyan warship landed rather close, but there were three of them standing right in front of her, and being assaulted by the two boys.
"It's alright!" ChiChi attempted to soothe the stilled boys, having snatched the sword from Trunks, and pulled Goten away from Kakarot. "These are friends and… our family."
Kakarot briefly regarded the other female Earthling, who still boasted her strange blue hair and pretty but slightly matured features. Apparently her son had now grown up, into the lilac-haired boy now folding his lightly toned arms and frowning at each of the strange Saiyans. The last time Kakarot had seen either of them, the young Prince had been barely four years old, and his nervous wreck of a mother was recovering from a major breakdown. He regarded her with a light nod, but Bulma was quick to look away and observe the two other Saiyans. This younger male and female, stood close to one another, and seemed equally shocked by the whole situation. The young man even rested a hand behind his head, looking extremely bashful with his averted eyes. The young woman meanwhile, calmly observed her surroundings, lightly grasping her mate's hand. When pale cerulean eyes rested on Bulma, the two females narrowed their gazes at one another. 'There's something familiar about her,' Bulma thought in particular.
Videl meanwhile, was beyond confused. First, the dark-haired woman had turned Gohan's father into a devoted puppy dog, then she'd even hugged Gohan and started to cry. By then, Videl had gathered that they were all related somehow, and upon sensing her mate's distressed ki levels, she'd tried her best to comfort him. But then two children had attacked from out of nowhere. There was no way she was going to hit a child back, even if one of them was smacking her repetitively with his toy sword. Now there was another strange woman, but she was missing a tail, just like the other one. It left only one other explanation, so she blurted out her accusation.
"You're both… human?" No one really heard her however, except for Gohan, and if they did, they paid little attention. Bulma was only concerned about dragging her son away by the ear to be scolded for running away. While ChiChi had grasped her own son's hand, to move back to Kakarot. All Gohan did, was squeeze Videl's hand, and briefly glance down at her with the tensing of his jaw. He wasn't ready to speak yet, not when another scene was unravelling in front of them.
ChiChi knelt down by her youngest son under the shadow of her cautious mate, and rested her hands on small shoulders. Her tone soft and mothering, trying her very best to explain things to vulnerable and impressionable ears.
"Do you remember the story I told you?" She started, brushing wild hair away from the boy's wide eyes. "About the young boy, whose father was a hero?"
Goten nodded. "Uh-huh. His daddy went away to rescue the planet from the evil lizard and… and the mommy said one day he'd come back."
Both Kakarot and Gohan exchanged uneasy glances, while Bulma and Videl both frowned for similar yet mutually unknown reasons. Only ChiChi nodded with a light smile, proud of her little boy. It had been difficult to teach him basic things, such as what a mother and a father was, or the meaning of family. The Almanac were a bad example, since they were genderless and ageless. So that left only stories as a form of teaching and moulding the young mind under the instruction of her firm belief in the old traditions.
"That's right, and remember how I told you the story was part true? How you were just like that little boy?" The child nodded and sucked on his lower lip slightly. No further explanation was needed, as ChiChi cast her eyes up to the tall man who attentively stood over them. Goten followed his mothers eye-line, looking back and forth between the two adults a moment. At last, he settled his gaze on the strange man, and a carefree little giggle escaped from his smiling lips.
"Hey! You look like me!" The boy exclaimed, still grinning and giggling as large hands finally lowered to lift him from the waist. As the restrained Kakarot straightened and held his son up, chubby little arms reached out, trying to grab at the spiky hair that matched his own perfectly.
"Are you a hero?" Kakarot didn't know how to respond to such a question, especially when asked so innocently with wide eyes staring expectantly at him. But if that was what the boy understood to be the makings of a father, then he could only nod, very slowly. ChiChi came to the rescue, standing closer to rest her hand on Kakarot's shoulder.
"His name is… Goku." The child instantly beamed; Goku had been the name of the hero in the story. The boy was quick to draw conclusions, as the hero Goku was said to have two sons, one of whom Goten had been named after.
"So are you my daddy? Like in the story?"
When 'Goku' nodded again with a warmer, more relieved smile, he was surprised once more by the way Goten just accepted this fact. Child's minds, being so simple and easy to accept fairytale endings, especially these more human children. Small arms reached for the thick neck, as the boy silently asked for a hug. Goku could hardly deny that simple gesture, and closed his eyes as he breathed a content sigh. To be surrounded by his woman and two sons, gave him the greatest feeling of a growing warmth inside his chest.
For four spectators, the green-eyed monster indeed reared his ugly head for a moment.
Bulma sighed, trying her best to ignore the constant tugs at her dress, from a frowning Trunks.
"How come Goten gets a hero for a dad?" he asked. The woman's face gradually scrunched up, but when he realised the damage done by his innocent question, it was far too late. Turning her back on the happy reunion scene that she'd always wanted for herself, the heiress struggled to find her way back down the gaping crevice opening. Meanwhile, Videl shifted her weight a little uncomfortably. It was bad enough that they'd landed on this strange, barren asteroid. Now this woman was revealed to be Kakarot's mate, Gohan's mother, and now this little boy was also her child. Why had they been abandoned here, and for how long? At least a few years she presumed, since the boy seemed initially oblivious to his father's true identity. And who or what was this Goku? She glanced at Gohan for answers, and found the further tensing of his jaw. The only reply he gave, was how he suddenly turned his back on the scene also, and retreated back inside the spaceship.
'Great,' she thought to herself with a heavy sigh, watching after him a moment. If anyone should be storming off in a sulking huff, surely it should have been her? The Earthling who had been stolen from her home, forced to live with aliens, and then told that she was half Saiyan. Then that her mother was an evil witch and most likely dead. Videl rolled her eyes, and wished that the bond was still raw enough for her to delve past her mate's mental shields. At least she could sense the pain he was feeling, and the overall tension between each separate being. Frowning a moment, she felt another set of eyes on her. The lilac haired boy was glaring at her with a light frown of his own. She averted her eyes a moment, not really know what to do or what this kid suddenly expected from her. It didn't stop him from walking closer, and then staring up at her slightly taller form.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Trunks rudely asked, wondering if she was also related to Goten. To his surprise, her pale cerulean eyes looked back down to him, and she exhaled a stifled half-chuckle. If only either of them realised they were in fact half-cousins, maybe then they both wouldn't feel so left out and incredibly alone right now.
"Heh, I wish I knew kid," Videl finally answered. Briefly looking back to the happy family again, her own jaw tightened, and she shook her head. "I wish I knew."
To be continued…